Vietnam has duty to protect foreign investors and staff

Vietnam is pursuing an innovation and opening-up policy, which is being helped by a large number of foreign-funded enterprises and foreign citizens doing business in the country. Though most of them have not been affected by the anti-China riots, Hanoi's nonfeasance in protecting the legitimate rights of Chinese nationals has caused anxiety and worry among many foreign enterprises and citizens. And if the violence continues to spread, there is no guarantee that other foreign companies and citizens will not suffer in the future.

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The Vietnamese government should immediately take necessary and effective measures to restore law and order in areas hit by violence and punish the perpetrators so as to reassure foreign enterprises and citizens of their safety.

In fact, Vietnam is obliged to demonstrate to the rest of the world that it is serious about protecting the legitimate rights of foreign citizens by taking immediate steps to restore normalcy.

Vietnam is highly dependent on foreign capital. Foreign investment and foreign trade have contributed immensely to the country's fast-paced economic growth over the past few years, and its recent economic slowdown can be attributed to its worsening investment environment, which hinders foreign enterprises from investing more in the country.

The targeting of foreign enterprises and citizens by the rioters is likely to further damage Vietnam's reputation as a favorable destination for global investment and tourism, dealing a serious blow to its economy.

Hanoi will be the biggest victim of its years of anti-China propaganda and indulgence of protesters targeting foreign, especially Chinese, enterprises. Once foreign investment, enterprises and tourists start ignoring Vietnam, its economic growth and job market will collapse.

According to Xinhua, more than 600 "radicals" (rioters and protesters) have been arrested in Vietnam. And Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has ordered the Ministry of Public Security to take firm measures to prevent people from disturbing the social order, and requested local authorities to protect business facilities, especially foreign ones, and help the affected enterprises resume business and production as soon as possible.

We hope the prime minister's orders are immediately carried out and the Vietnamese authorities restore normalcy, offering compensation to the foreign enterprises that have incurred losses and ensuring the safety of all Chinese nationals and companies in the country.

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